Community College Baseball: Corona propels Pirates

IRVINE — After the losing streak reached a season-worst three games on Saturday, the Orange Coast College baseball coaching staff reached for a Corona.

It had nothing to do with an adult beverage, but rather the decision to allow sophomore designated hitter-first baseman Stephen Corona to make his first start of the season on the mound Tuesday at Irvine Valley College.

The result was a 2-0 Orange Empire Conference victory in which Corona, whose last starting pitching assignment came in 2013 at Santa Fe High, was masterful through eight innings to win his first decision of the season. The right-hander, who was 1-0 with an earned-run average of 0.00 in 6 2/3 innings last season at Eastern Arizona Community College, had previously made only one mound appearance this season, throwing three innings in relief.

But using aggressiveness and control (65 of his 95 pitches were strikes, and he threw a first-pitch strike to 11 of the final 13 he faced), he scattered eight hits, all singles. He struck out three, did not issue a walk, and allowed only one runner to reach third base.

“We knew he was a pitcher, we just didn’t use him because we didn’t think we needed him [to pitch],” OCC Coach John Altobelli said. “Then, after our last game, we [coaches] started wondering who we could put out there who was going to compete and battle. [Assistant Coach Nick McDonald] came up with the suggestion of Corona and I thought it was a great idea.

“We were hoping maybe [Corona] would work one time through the order and then we’d go with someone else, just to shorten the game a little bit. But he was throwing strikes and getting his curveball over and that’s all you need to do.”

Sophomore Dominic Purpura worked the ninth to complete the shutout, only the second of the season for the Pirates (20-11, 11-5 in conference), whose losing streak last week cost them the OEC lead. Purpura earned his seventh save to increase his conference lead in that department.

“[Corona] may not be able to raise his arm [Wednesday], but he did a great job, and we needed it,” Altobelli said.

The win kept the defending conference and state champion Pirates, ranked No. 5 in Southern California, in a second-place tie with Golden West. No. 2-ranked Cypress, which won a pair from OCC last week, has a one-game lead atop the standings.

Sophomore leadoff man Robert Longtree doubled off the left-fielder’s glove to drive in Jeff Nellis to open the scoring in the third inning.

Sophomore right fielder Tommy Bell walked to lead off the sixth, stole second, went to third on a groundout and came home on an infield error to finalize the scoring in the sixth.

Bell went two for three, as did Nellis to lead the visitors’ seven-hit attack against IVC starter Ryan Abady. Abady, a left-hander, blanked the Pirates on three hits in a complete-game at IVC on March 7. Abady worked into the ninth inning Tuesday and lowered his ERA from 1.95 to 1.85, though he fell to 6-3.

“[Abady] is a good pitcher and he did a good job against us [March 7],” Altobelli said. “So it was good to have some better at-bats against him.”

Corona said he learned Monday that he would be making his first collegiate start. He was neither nervous, nor rusty.

“It has been a while [since he opened a game on the bump], but they told me they wanted me to go out there and compete and that’s what I did,” Corona said. “I’ve been focusing on hitting, but I knew what I was doing [on the mound]. I wanted to just throw strikes, get ahead and let my defense do the work. It feels great to contribute like that. It feels really great.”

OCC will try to generate more good feelings when it plays host to Golden West on Thursday at 2 p.m. OCC then visits GWC on Friday, before finishing out the regular season with a home-and-home series against Saddleback.

IVC fell to 17-15, 7-10.

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Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast 2, Irvine Valley 0

SCORE BY INNINGS

OCC 001 001 000 – 2 7 2

IVC 000 000 000 – 0 8 1

Corona, Purpura (9) and Kruger; Abady, Chacon (9) and Williams, Navarrete. W – Corona, 1-0. L – Abady, 6-3. Sv – Purpura (7). 2B – Longtree (OCC), Bell (OCC).